Anti-slip device for boots and shoes



Jan. 24, 1961 J., A. KING ANTI-SLIP DEVICE FOR BOOTS AND SHOES Filed May14, 1959 B y M313 United States Patent 6 ANTI-SLIP DEVICE FOR BOOTS ANDSHOES James A. King, 11 East Drive, Watford, England Filed May 14, 1959,Ser. No. 813,303

Claims priority, application Great Britain May 31, 1958 Claims. (Cl.36-61) This invention relates to an anti-slip device for boots and shoeswhich has been designed to prevent slipping on icy or slippery surfaces.

The device according to the invention comprises a member having spikesor other projections so attached to a base member fixed or adapted to befixed to a boot or shoe at a position in the front of the heel that themember having the spikes or projections can be adjusted either to anoperative position in which the spikes or projections will engage theground or icy surface or to an inoperative position in which the spikesor projections are received into the free space beneath the instep ofthe boot or shoe. The device is thus constructed so that it can easilybe put out of action to avoid inconvenience when walking on surfaces onwhich the use of spikes or projections is undesirable.

The base member may be fixed to the front of the heel block of a boot orshoe but we find it preferable to fix it to the sole at a positionbeneath the instep and close to the front edge of the heel block. Oneembodiment of the invention, in which the base member is adapted to beso fixed to the sole of a boot or shoe, will now be described more indetail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing inwhich:

Figure 1 is an exploded view showing the separate parts of which thedevice is composed,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the assembled device,

Figure 3 is a side elevation showing the device fixed to a shoe andmoved to the operative position, and

Figure 4 is a similar view, but showing the device moved to theinoperative postion.

As can be seen most plainly from Figures 1 and 2, the device is composedof a base plate 1, a spike plate 2 and a coiled spring 3.

The base plate is provided with holes 4, i.e. holes to receive screws orlike means for fixing it to the sole of a boot or shoe. The base platealso has two bent down lugs 5 and 6 at opposite sides of its rear endfor supporting the spike plate 2.

The spike plate is formed with spikes or projections 7 at one edge andhas cut-out portions adjacent its opposite edge so shaped as to form twoaligned hinge pins 3 and 9 out of the material of the plate and lying inthe plane thereof, the hinge pin 8 being joined at both ends to theplate itself, whereas the pin 9 has one free end.

The device is assembled by first threading the spring 3 onto the pin 9and then pushing the pin 9 through a hole 10 provided for it in the lug5 so that the spring 3 is compressed axially between the lug 5 and theportion of the plate 2 to which the root of the pin 9 is attached. Thepin 8 is then pushed edgewise into a slot 11 provided for it in the lug6 whereupon the plate 2 is rotated about the axis of the pins 8 and 9 soas to cause the edges 12 of the lugs 5 and 6 to enter gaps 13 providedfor them in the spiked plate. Each lug 5 and 6 has two notches 14 and 15and the spike plate 2 is formed with shoulders 16 adjacent the gaps 13arranged so that, when the spike plate has been rotated so as to bringthe notches 14 or 15 into alignment with the shoulders 16, the shouldersare brought into engagement with the notches by a sliding movement ofthe plate 2 on the pins 8 and 9 under the pressure of the spring 3. Thenotches 14 are arranged to lock the spike plate in the operativeposition at right-angles to the base plate shown in Figure 3 and thenotches 15 are arranged to lock the spike plate in the inoperativeposition parallel with the base plate shown in Figure 4. The plate 2 isof such depth that, when it is swung down into the operative position,the tips of the spikes or projections 7 project somewhat below thebottom of the heel as shown so that they will engage the ground or icysurface.

The two ends of the spring 3 are extended to form lever arms 17 and 18which engage the plates 1 and 2 as shown so as to exert a constantpressure tending to rock the plate 2 from the inoperative position tothe operative position.

The spike plate 2 is formed with a projecting lug or fingerpiece 19 bywhich it can easily be manipulated to move it either to the operative orinoperative position. This lug or projection is preferably arranged atthe righthand side for the left foot and at the left-hand side for theright foot to make it easy for the user to adjust the devices whilewearing them.

The spike plate is moved to the inoperative position when required bysliding the plate 2 against the action of the spring 3 sufficiently towithdraw the shoulders 16 from engagement with the notches 14, thenrocking it upwards against the action of the spring and finally allowingthe shoulders 16 to engage the notches 15. The shoulders 16 are thenheld firmly in engagement with the notches 15 by the axial pressure ofthe spring so that the spike plate is locked in the position shown inFigure 4. In this position it is contained entirely within the freespace beneath the instep of the boot or shoe and is thus out of the way.

To move the spike plate to the operative position the user has merely topush against the lug 19 so as to slide the plate 2 against the action ofthe spring 3 sufiiciently to disengage the shoulders 16 from the notches15. The spike plate will then swing down under the action of the spring3 until the shoulders 16 come into alignment with the notches 14. Thespike plate will then he slid by the axial pressure of the spring 3sufficiently to engage the shoulders 16 with the notches 14. The spikeplate will thus be locked in the position shown in Figure 3. In thisposition, the tips of the spikes or projections 7 project below thebottom of the heel 29 so that they will engage the ground or icysurface.

The device shown in the drawing is designed for a right shoe. For a leftshoe, the device is preferably made as a mirror image of the right shoe.

The holes 4 of the device illustrated in the drawing enable it to befixed to a boot or shoe by a boot repairer or by the ultimate user. Whena boot or shoe is manufactured with an anti-slip device in accordancewith the invention, the base member may be fixed to the boot or shoebottom by screws in the same way as the plate 1 shown in theaccompanying drawing or it may be attached to or built into the bottomof the boot or shoe by any suitable method chosen by the boot or shoemanufacturer.

I claim:

1. An anti-slip device for boots and shoes comprising a base memberadapted to be fixed to the footwear at a position in front of the heelthereof, and a spiked plate having spikes or projections at one edge andhinged to said base member adjacent an opposite edge so as to be movableto an operative position in which the spikes or projections will engagethe ground or to an inoperative position in which the spikes orprojections are received into the free space beneath the instep of thefootwear, said spiked plate having cut-out portions so shaped as to formaligned hinge pins out of the material of the plate that engage inbearing holes provided for them in lugs projecting from the base member,the said plate also having shoulders that can be engaged with notchesprovided for them in the lugs by sliding the plate in the direction ofthe axis of the hinge pins to lock the plate in the operative position,the sliding movement of the plate being controlled by a spring whichconstantly tends to move the plate in the direction to engage theshoulders with the notches.

2. An anti-slip device for boots and shoes comprising a spiked platehaving a number of spikes at one edge thereof and formed adjacent itsopposite edge with cutout portions so shaped as to form axially alignedhingepins out ofthe material of the plate, one of said hinge pins beingjoined to said spiked plate at one end only whereas the other isjoinedthereto at both ends; a base plate adapted to be attached to a boot orshoe and having spaced lugs one of which has a bearing hole into whichsaid first mentioned hinge-pin can be pushed endwise whereas the otherhas a bearing slot into which said second-mentioned hinge-pin can bepushed laterally, said hinge-pins, bearing hole, and bearing slotforming a hinge about which the spike plate can swing either to a stowedposition or to an operative position, and one of said lugs having anotch and said spiked plate having a shoulder that can be engaged withsaid notch by sliding the spiked plate in the direction of the commonaxis of the hinge pins to lock the plate in an operative position andspring means constantly tending to hold said spiked plate in the lockedposition.

3. An anti-slip device for boots and shoes comprising a base platehaving two spaced apart lugs thereon pierced with mutually alignedbearing holes, a spike plate having a number of projecting spikes at oneedge and mutually aligned hinge-pins adjacent an opposite edge thereof,said hinge-pins being mounted for limited sliding and rotationalmovement in said holes thereby permitting said spike plate to bedisplaced laterally relatively to said base plate and also to be rotatedeither to a stowed position close to said base plate or to a workingposition projecting from said base plate, said spike plate havingshoulders and one of said lugs having a notch engageable with either ofsaid shoulders by lateral displacement of said spike plate to lock thesame in either the stowed or working position, and spring meansconstantly urging said spike plate laterally in the direction to causeengagement of said notch with said shoulder.

4. An anti-slip device for boots and shoes comprising a base platehaving two spaced apart lugs thereon pierced with mutually alignedbearing holes, a spike plate having a number of projecting spikes at oneedge and mutually aligned hinge-pins adjacent an opposite edge thereof,said hinge-pins being mounted for limited sliding and rotationalmovement in said holes thereby permitting said spike plate to bedisplaced laterally relatively to said base plate and also to be rotatedeither to a stowed position close to said base plate or to a workingposition projecting from said base plate, said spike plate havingshoulders and one of said lugs having a notch engageable with either ofsaid shoulders by lateral displacement of said spike plate to lock thesame in either the stowed or working position, and a spring constantlytending to rotate said spike plate towards said working position andconstantly urging said spike plate laterally in the direction to causeengagement between one of said notches and said shoulders.

5. An anti-slip device for boots and shoes comprising a base plateadapted to be attached to the sole of a boot or shoe at a position infront of the heel thereof and having spaced apart lugs bent up from saidplate parallel to one another and pierced with mutually aligned bearingholes, a spike plate having spikes or projections at one edge and havingcut-out portions adjacent its opposite edge so shaped as to form alignedhinge-pins out of the material of the plate engageable with said bearingholes for both sliding and rotational movement therein permitting bothlateral and rotational displacement of said spike plate relatively tosaid base plate, one of said hinge-pins having one end joined to saidspike plate and one end free and being insertable endwise into one ofsaid bearing holes, said spike plate having a shoulder and one of saidlugs having a notch engageable with said shoulder by lateraldisplacement of said spike plate to lock the same in a rotationalposition in which said spikes will engage the ground, and a coiledspring threaded on said last-mentioned hinge-pin and constantly urgingsaid spike-plate laterally in the direction to cause locking engagementbetween said notch and shoulder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS351,966 Cottrell Nov. 2, 1886 652,488 Rush June 26, 1900 749,342 Toscanet al. Jan. 12, 1904 896,158 Roche Aug. 18, 1908 907,172 Pratt Dec. 22,1908 986,763 Scaramella Mar. 14, 1911 992,773 Holderbaum May 23, 1911995,784 Gerry June 20, 1911 1,259,705 Ajello Mar. 19, 1918 1,292,212Zaun Jan. 21, 1919 FOREIGN PATENTS 483,865 Germany Oct. 9, 1929

